After reports of a cougar, News 12 goes on the prowl

A Hunterdon County couple claims it saw a cougar, but state agencies aren't so sure.Richard and Renee Perst say they've seen a number of large

LEBANON - A Hunterdon County couple claims it saw a cougar, but state agencies aren't so sure.

Richard and Renee Perst say they've seen a number of large cats but never a cougar before. Perst said the October snowstorm prevented him from cutting his high grass, so if it was a big cat or another predator it was the perfect hiding place to run an ambush.

In 2010, residents of Manalapan in Monmouth County insisted they had spotted a mountain lion in their area. However, the U.S. fish and wildlife service has concluded that the eastern cougar is extinct.